


The Spirit of Christmas

by xtremeroswellian



Series: 12 Days of Christmas - Third Watch (2004) [9]
Category: Third Watch
Genre: Angst, Christmas, Gen, Ghosts, Hauntings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:26:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24393508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: Cowritten with NYPDBosco, who doesn't have an account here.Bosco's in a coma and Faith's being a holiday scrooge. Can the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future help?
Relationships: Maurice Boscorelli & Faith Yokas
Series: 12 Days of Christmas - Third Watch (2004) [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761361
Kudos: 1





	The Spirit of Christmas

Faith rubbed the back of her neck as she sat at her desk, studying the same file she'd been staring at all day to no avail. There were no leads, nothing she could see that was useful in the information contained in the

file, but she'd convinced herself that if she stared at it long enough, the answers would reveal themselves to her. She didn't even hear Jelly when he said her name.

"Faith," he called a little louder, slightly annoyed. "Yokas."

"What?" she snapped.

He motioned toward the file. "You've been staring at that thing so long it's almost January."

"And I'm gonna keep starin' at it until I figure it out."

"Maybe you should take a break," he suggested. "Have a cookie. Grab some coffee."

"No. I'm fine."

"Yeah," he chuckled. "If fine is totally zoned out and clueless about your surroundings."

"Bite me," she mumbled.

"Wow. I don't know if I've ever met someone with so much Christmas spirit. The offer's nice, but I'll have to pass tonight. You see I have more of a sweet tooth, and I think you'd be a little sour."

She rolled her eyes. "Go home, Jelly."

"Oh I'm planning on it. Are you?"

"Maybe. Later."

"Let the first watch take a crack at that file. Get some fresh eyes on it. A little different perspective."

She sighed heavily, looking up at him, irritated.

"You're not doin' anybody any good by driving yourself crazy over that file. Step back for a bit. Go home, get some sleep. Enjoy Christmas."

"Yeah." She shook her head. "Enjoy Christmas. At home, by myself in a bare apartment. Gee, I can't wait."

He rolled his eyes. "You don't have to stay home alone. You can go out or somethin'. Hell, go see Bosco."

Her jaw tensed. "In case you didn't know it, Bosco's in a coma. He's probably never gonna wake up. Thanks for the reminder. One more thing to be thankful for at Christmas, huh?" She stood up abruptly.

"Come on, Yokas. You know he's just takin' his time," he told her softly.

"That's what I told myself at first, too. It's been almost six months." She didn't look at him.

"You been goin' to see him at all lately?" He asked curiously.

It took her a moment to answer. "Last week."

Jelly nodded his head then stood up and grabbed his jacket. "I can't even begin to imagine what you're goin' through, but I think there's an important gift you need to give tomorrow."

"And what gift is that?"

"It's gonna sound like a stupid pun, but...your faith. You gotta let him know you've still got faith in him, and you need to have a little faith in yourself, in what you do and who you are."

She stared at him for a moment. "You're right. It does sound like a stupid pun." She headed for the door.

"And people always said Boscorelli was the one that was hard to get through to," he called after her.

"Well I guess ten years of riding next to his stubborn ass rubbed off on me. Goodnight."

"Have a miserable Christmas," he said, shaking his head.

"Bah humbug," she grumbled.

Letting out a frustrated sigh he put on his coat, turned off the office light and shut the door behind him hoping that once Christmas was over Faith would snap out of her funk.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Faith had fully intended to stay up all night so she could spend the entire next day in bed sleeping. Sleeping right through what had once been her favorite holiday and now was the current bane of her existence. But by

11:38, she was so tired from all the hours she'd worked in the past week, she gave up and headed into her bedroom, not bothering to turn on the light as she changed into a pair of flannel pajamas and crawled beneath

the covers. Sighing softly, she glared at her alarm clock before shutting her eyes, hoping that when she woke up Christmas would be over. Because if -one- more person had the nerve to wish her a merry Christmas,

she might just tell them what they could do with their damned tree and decorations.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Faith had only been asleep for a little while, though it felt like ages, when she sat up suddenly and looked around her darkened room. Just when she'd convinced herself that she'd had a weird dream or something, she

spotted a figure at the end of her bed. Her eyes widened. "Fred?"

He chuckled. "I think I'm offended. In fact...I know I am."

Her jaw dropped open as Bobby Caffey stepped into the light shining in through her bedroom window.

"I'm better looking and in much better shape, don't you think?"

She closed her eyes. "I shouldn't have had that drink before bed," she mumbled.

"Trust me. It wasn't the drink that brought me here."

"Of course not. I'm just hallucinating."

Bobby moved over to the bed and sat down beside her. He reached for her hand in order to try and prove he was really there.

A cold chill passed through her as their hands brushed and she quickly jerked away from him, her face pale.

"You felt that, right?" He asked softly.

"What do you want?" she whispered, swallowing hard.

"I wanna take you somewhere," he whispered back. "A Christmas from the past."

"What?" She stared at him in disbelief.

"We're gonna take a little trip back in time," he told her quietly. "To a much happier Christmas."

"I've seen this movie, Bobby."

"So play along."

"This is stupid. I'm just having some weird ass dream. You're not really here."

"Then if it's a dream you'll have to play along, won't you? Cause I don't know about you but I still can't control my dreams." He stood up. "So let's go."

Faith stared at him for a moment, then glanced at the clock. It was five til Midnight. What the hell? she thought. It's not like I have anything to lose.

He smiled at her. "You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she mumbled.

"And I thought Bosco was difficult," he said under his breath.

"You know, you're the second person who's said that to me." She paused. "Except you're not a person, you're just part of some trippy alcohol-induced dream."

Bobby's eyes narrowed. "I'd rather you dream about me in a calm, heavenly sort of way."

A smile tugged at her lips. "Sorry. You're not the fantasy guy I dream of at night. Not that you're not good-looking...what am I saying?" She shook her head. "You're dead!"

"You don't have to rub it in. Geez." He shook his head.

Faith rolled her eyes. "Are we goin' somewhere or not?"

"Yeah, but keep in mind...us dead guys got feelings too," he informed her before snapping his fingers.

"Check. Dead guys have feelings too," she echoed, shaking her head.

Bobby glared at her and then glanced up at the heavens as he impatiently snapped his fingers a couple more times. He was ready to get this show on the road.

* * *

"So what's this?" She folded her arms across her chest and shook her head as she looked around the crowded bar at Haggerty's.

His eyebrows furrowed and he looked over at her. "You mean you don't remember?"

"What exactly am I supposed to remember?"

"Wow. This is gonna be a lot harder than I thought," he mumbled. "Come on," he motioned for her to follow him deeper into the bar.

Sighing softly, she followed him reluctantly, her eyes widening when her gaze landed on a much younger Maurice Boscorelli...and a much younger version of herself.

"Welcome to Christmas past," Bobby told her.

Staring in amazement, she watched as her younger self grinned at Bosco. "I'll bet you ten -bucks- I'm right, Boz."

Bosco reached into his pocket and grabbed his wallet. Pulling out a ten dollar bill he slapped it down on the table. "I'll take that bet."

She smirked. "He lost that bet," she informed Bobby.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Bobby asked, a smile on his face. "So...you remember this Christmas?"

"It was my first Christmas bein' paired with Boz...we worked on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day," she recalled, her voice soft as she watched her younger self smiling at Bosco and vice versa.

Bobby nodded as he looked at the two officers. "And if my research is correct things weren't looking so good on Christmas Eve. Rather than a relaxing night you had to deal with an MVA and a burglary."

"Yeah," she murmured, closing her eyes. "The accident...it was a bad one. But no one got killed."

"From the pictures I saw it was some kinda miracle that there were no fatalities." He took a deep breath. "The burglary was a real test for you guys, too."

"Bosco saved my life that night," she murmured almost inaudibly.

"It was the first time anyone actually put themself on the line for you," he said softly. "I used to hear about it all the time, how cops would protect their partners above all else, how they'd do anything for them.

Never really thought it was true, ya know?"

She swallowed hard, tears prickling at her eyelids. "And now because of me, he's in a coma."

"Faith, that's not because of you," he whispered.

"If he hadn't jumped in front of me, I would've gotten shot. He sacrificed himself to save me. How much more proof do you need?"

He looked over at her. "But you aren't the one who shot him, are you?"

She didn't answer him, watching as her younger self and the younger Bosco stood up and headed for the door. She followed out of instinct.

"Where are you guys heading?" Bobby questioned. "I never got beyond this point in my research."

"Outside," she murmured.

He bit back a sarcastic remark as he caught up to her. Her mood was just starting to soften a little and he wasn't about to interfer.

She leaned against the doorway as the younger Faith and younger Bosco stood closely together.

"Thank you," she whispered to him.

Pressing his lips together he nodded his head. He then reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a card in a red envelope. After looking at it for a moment he handed it to her.

Her eyebrows furrowed a little. "You got me a card?" There was more than a little hint of surprise in her voice.

"Yeah." He nodded his head. "I didn't know what to buy you for Christmas so..."

She smiled and opened the card, which had a picture of a cute little puppy with a wreath around its neck. Inside was a gift card to the local mall. "Thank you."

"It was no big thing," he told her, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I uh...I got gifts for the kids. I hope that's okay. Forgot to bring 'em to work though, so I'll have to drop them off at your place later."

She gazed at him. "You bought gifts for my kids? Boz, that's...you didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to," he told her very softly. "I mean, you know I don't have a whole lotta family and now...with us bein' partners it just...felt right," he finished in a whisper, looking away.

"It's fine, Boz." Her voice was soft. She reached over and touched his arm. "Why don't you come over tomorrow? Spend the day with us? I'm fixin' a big dinner."

He shifted his gaze back to her, a small smile on his face. "Yeah?"

Her younger self smiled. "Absolutely. You're family."

Bosco smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bright and early. I'm makin' breakfast too," she informed him.

"If there's food involved you know I'll be there," he told her. "Have a good night, Faith."

"Night, Boz." Her younger self smiled softly as she watched him walk away.

Faith's eyes were sad. "We used to be so close."

"You still could be," Bobby told her softly.

"He's not gonna wake up, Bobby." Her voice was barely audible.

"You don't know that, Faith."

"It's been six months."

"I know, but he's lasted this long, he's still holding on. Don't give up on him." He was quiet for a moment. "You know what always surprised me about Bosco?"

"What's that?" she whispered.

"His relationship with you. I never woulda pegged him as the guy to have a female partner and be okay with it, but he was and together you guys thrived." Bobby held her gaze. "And even when you couldn't hit the

broad side of a barn with a bullet he never gave up on you. He saw something in you. Just a hint of something that told him not to give up."

She looked away. "I tried not to give up, Bobby. But the doctors keep saying--"

"They don't know him, Faith. You do. You -know- him."

Tired and depressed, she rubbed the back of her neck. "I wanna go back home now."

He nodded his head. "Yeah, okay. Just do me a favor."

"What's that?"

"Remember that even though he's in a coma...he's still that guy," he told her softly, pointing in the direction the younger Bosco had gone in.

Swallowing hard, she gazed off into the distance. "Yeah. I know that," she murmured.

"You're still the one he counts on," he whispered, before snapping his fingers and ending their visit.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Faith sat up in bed, her heart pounding in her chest. Blinking, she pressed a hand over her heart, swallowing hard. That had been one bizarre dream.

"Good. You're awake."

She quickly turned her head to see Alex Taylor standing beside her bed. "Obviously not," she mumbled.

"Are you gonna be grumpy with me too? Damn, I finally get what I think's a good assignment. I figure I'm no longer a newbie at this so something good's gotta come out of it, right? But no."

She was silent for a moment. "I'm a good assignment?" She couldn't help but grin.

"Well I thought so. I mean I've had some doozies since I've been, well...up there," she said, pointing upward.

"All on Christmas Eve?"

"Not all of 'em, but...most of them. Time kinda stands still for us in a way," she said with a smile. "I only wish I had this many hours in the day back when I was alive," Taylor joked.

Faith shook her head slightly. "So...let me guess...you're the 'Ghost of Christmas Present.'"

Alex chuckled. "You've seen the movie, huh?"

"Yeah, but it was just the Disney version. I watched it with my kids."

"Same premise. So...you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

With a nod of Taylor's head they were transported.

Faith opened her eyes as she felt her feet on solid ground once more. She immediately recognized her surroundings and she swallowed hard. "Taylor...I don't wanna be here," she whispered.

"We don't have to stay long," she told her friend softly.

Forcing herself to draw in a breath, she hesitantly looked toward the bed where Bosco's still form lay silent.

"He looks peaceful, doesn't he? Relaxed."

"He looks dead." Her voice was harsh.

"But he's not, Faith. Look closer. His chest rises and falls on its own." Taylor looked from Bosco to Faith. "He's very much alive he just can't seem to make his way back."

"He has no reason to. His brother's dead. The doctors say even if he does wake up he won't ever be able to work again...what's his motivation?"

"Cop or not, Bosco affects other people's lives. Even if he can't go back to the 5-5 he'll still be Rose's son. He'll still be your friend." She shifted her gaze back to Bosco. "Does he know that?"

"Of course he knows it."

"Do you notice anything about this room, Faith?"

"What?" Her eyebrows furrowed.

"Look around. The only thing in this room is the hospital equipment and a poinsettia that his mother brought in. She can't stay here all the time to talk to him, and she hasn't decorated in here for the holidays

because she's a little down herself. Not only does this room look like a hospital room, but it -feels- like it too. It's dark and dreary and..." Taylor shook her head.

"Taylor...he doesn't know anyway," she whispered.

"You don't know that, Faith." She walked over to the bed and stared down at Bosco. "He's still in there, and when he wakes up, is this what you want him to wake up to?" Alex motioned around the room.

"If he wakes up," she murmured.

"See, that's -exactly- what he doesn't need," Taylor said as she glared at Faith.

She looked at Taylor. "It's been six months."

"But his body...his mind doesn't know that. Only we know how long it's been."

Faith closed her eyes.

Alex sighed softly. "I know it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, Faith. But believe it or not Bosco needs you just as much now as he did before he got hurt."

Rubbing the back of her neck, she swallowed hard. "Take me back."

She walked back over to where Faith was standing. "I'm sorry about all this," she told her softly. "I know it's not easy."

"I can't stand the thought of..." She couldn't finish.

"I know," she murmured. "Come on, let's get you back."  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
When she woke up this time, there were tears in her eyes as she looked at the clock. She was a little startled to see that it was only five til Midnight.

"Faith?" The voice was soft and tentative.

The breath caught in the back of her throat and she turned her head to see Michael Boscorelli standing there. "Mikey," she whispered.

"Hey," he whispered back. "I'm a ghost now, pretty cool huh?" He said lightly.

Her eyes were sad. "I'm so sorry about what happened to you."

He nodded his head. "I really appreciate you bein' there for ma and Mo," he told her softly.

"I wish I'd been there more," she murmured.

Mikey shrugged. "Stuff happens. You live and ya learn. Forgive and forget."

"And sometimes you don't."

For a moment he was quiet and then he moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "I've been told you're really not into this whole Christmas thing this year."

"Understatement," she whispered.

"It really sucks how everything kinda got dumped on you all at once."

She was quiet for a moment. "How can you not hate me?"

His eyebrows furrowed. "Why would I hate you?"

"Your brother almost got himself killed because of me."

"Yeah he did, and I have a totally new level of respect for him."

She looked up at him in confusion.

Seeing that she didn't understand he took a deep breath before trying to explain it. "Growing up Mo and I...we were close, but then we drifted apart, far apart. I used to talk to ma and she used to always fill me in on

how he'd been datin' some woman and then was datin' a different one a week or so later, and I figured he just wasn't good at relationships. He couldn't commit even to his family. Sometimes I used to think he was so

self centered and selfish." Smiling softly he shook his head. "I was wrong. That day...what he did..."

Faith swallowed hard. "He saved my life."

"He's a pretty amazing guy, huh?"

"Yeah. He is," she whispered.

"Can you do me a favor?" He asked softly. "I know I'm supposed to be here helpin' you, but..."

"Sure. What is it?"

"The next time you go see him could you just...well could you tell him that I know he tried savin' me too, but we just got started too late?"

Tears sparkled in her eyes. "Count on it."

Pressing his lips together he nodded his head. "Thanks," he whispered.

"You're welcome." She was quiet for a few seconds. "You know...I always liked you."

He grinned. "Yeah?"

She smiled softly. "Yeah."

"And just so you know, Fred's a total ass," he told her, nodding his head.

"Tell me something I -didn't- know."

Mikey was still smiling when he glanced over at the clock which still read five minutes to midnight. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to that."

"The fact that it seems like I've been asleep forever and it's still only five til Midnight?"

"The fact that time stands still during all these trips. It's totally...well, trippy."

She chuckled. "No kidding. Imagine how it is for me."

"So..." He let out a breath. "You ready for the last journey?"

Faith bit her lip. "Yeah. I think so."

He gave her a reassuring smile before snapping his fingers like Bobby had earlier.

She drew in a breath and found herself standing in the middle of Bosco's hospital room once more. Only this time, another version of her stood by his bed silently while Rose held his hand, weeping.

"Mikey...what's going on?"

He swallowed hard. "After holding on for so long...his body was just too weak to keep fighting and they had to put him back on the machines to keep him alive and...this is the day when..."

"No," she whispered, shaking her head.

"Ma decided that it was time to let him go, so they're gonna turn off the machines," he told her very softly.

"I can't watch this. I don't wanna watch this." She started backing up, out of the room.

"I'm sorry, Faith. I had to bring you here."

"Why? All night everybody's been tellin' me that he'll get better, that he'll wake up and now you're telling me he's gonna die?"

"It's the future, Faith. What happens in the present is what leads us to this." He motioned toward his brother. "Something happened between the present and this moment right here, something big and it changed

-everything-."

A tear streaked down her cheek. "Mikey, I don't understand!"

"He gave up, Faith! Something made him give up the fight."

"No." She shook her head in denial. "He's not like that. He doesn't give up!"

"You didn't before either!"

She stared at him.

"You can't give up on him, Faith. You can't." Mikey closed his eyes as he tried to gather himself. "I love my brother, but I am -not- ready to spend eternity with him."

"Are you saying that...this is because of me?"

"No." He shook his head and took a deep breath then let it out slowly. "I mean...I don't know, Faith. All I know is that one day he was holding his own and the next..." He looked over at Bosco. "You've always been

the only one who could get through to him. I just thought..."

"You honestly believe that -I- have that kinda power?" she whispered uncertainly.

"When it comes to my brother, yes. I do."

Her gaze shifted to Bosco's still figure lying in the bed. "So if I...don't give up on him...he won't give up on himself?" Her voice was barely audible.

"That's the way it's always worked with you two."

Swallowing hard, she blinked back tears. "Take me home."

Mikey nodded his head.

Faith closed her eyes.

"It was good to see you, Faith. I'm sorry it had to be like this though," he told her softly.

"But it doesn't have to be like this, right?" she whispered.

"Right." He nodded his head. "The future isn't set in stone."  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
The future isn't set in stone. The words echoed in her mind as she sat up in bed, trembling. Without hesitation, she launched herself out of bed and pulled on the first set of clothes she found. She had to get to the

hospital.

Faith managed to sneak past the nurses and step into Bosco's room unnoticed. It was dark, quiet except for the steady beeping of the heart monitor he was hooked up to. Swallowing hard, she made her way over to his

bed and flipped on the lamp before sitting down beside him. "I uh...I turned on the light...cause I know you don't like the dark," she whispered. She reached out and took his hand. "Boz...I'm here. Okay? I'm here.

You're not alone. And I need you to not give up. You hear me? You come back to me."  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Rose slowly rounded the corner into her son's hospital room with her knitting bag in one hand. As soon as she stepped inside she stopped, wondering for a moment if she was in the right place. The curtains had been

pulled back letting the sun in and bathing the room in light, and Faith sat beside the bed, a magazine in her hands. For a moment Rose just stood there as the younger woman read out of the magazine, informing her

son about current sports news.

Feeling like someone was watching her, Faith looked up and spotted Rose. "Hey, Boz. Your Ma's here."

Smiling softly Rose made her way over to the bed and leaned down to kiss her son's forehead like she did everyday. "Hey, Baby," she whispered in his ear. She set her bag down on the floor and looked at Faith. "Good

morning, Faith."

"Good morning." She smiled at her friend's mother.

"It's good to see you," she told her softly.

"Good to see you too."

"How long have you been here?" She questioned as she grabbed a bottle of lotion off the nightstand. After squirting a small amount onto her hand so she could apply it to Bosco's hand and arm she held the bottle out

over the bed, tilted so that she could squirt some on Faith's hand if the woman was willing to help with the routine she'd been doing for so many months.

She was silent for a moment. "Since a little after Midnight."

"You've been here a long time," she commented.

"Yeah."

"Here." Rose motioned for Faith to stick out her hand, and when the woman did so she put some lotion in her hand then set the bottle down and began to rub the lotion into Bosco's skin. "I keep figurin' he's gonna

get pissed at me for this and eventually open his eyes," Rose said lightly.

"Well, especially since you're using 'Strawberry' scented lotion." She grinned and worked the lotion into Bosco's other arm.

"I ran outta 'Cucumber Melon'." They were silent for a moment as they worked. "So...is everything okay? What brought you by so late?"

Faith paused. "Let's just say...I had an epiphany."

Rose stopped for a moment and raised her eyebrows as she looked up at Faith.

"It's a long story," she said very softly.

"And you know what, it's none of my business. I'm just glad you're here. Are you the one who opened the curtains?"

"Yeah. It was gettin' too dreary in here. I brought in some fresh flowers too." She nodded toward the yellow roses in a vase on the window.

"They're lovely, and you're right...it is entirely too dreary in here. I've just gotten into such a rut," she said softly.

"It's okay. I understand." Faith looked up at her.

Finished with his arm Rose bent down and kissed Bosco once more. "I wonder if he knows what today is," she murmured.

"I'm sure he does." Her voice was full of certainty.

She looked up at Faith, a smile on her face. "You think so?"

"Absolutely." She smiled back at Rose. "And I think he's gonna wake up anytime now."

"It's so good to hear you say that, Faith. I've been feeling like I was the only one..."

"You're definitely not. It's just a matter of time. He knows I'll kick his butt if he makes us wait much longer."

"You hear that, Maurice? Faith's getting impatient and so am I."

"Yeah, and you really don't want both of us on your case," Faith informed him with a grin.

Rose chuckled softly and sat down in the chair opposite of Faith. Holding her son's hand she reached down with her free hand to get a cookie tin out of her knitting bag. "I know it's still early, but seein' as it's

Christmas I think we're allowed cookies before lunch."

"I never turn down cookies," Faith said lightly.

"I knew I liked you." She handed Faith the tin, and gazed at the woman for a moment. "I appreciate you bein' here today," she told her softly.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else. Bosco's my best friend and we always spend Christmas together."

"Well then, next year we'll have Christmas at my place. I'll make a big meal and we'll sit around and drink egg nog and just...enjoy each other's company. How's that sound?"

"That sounds wonderful. Doesn't it, Bosco?"

Though his eyes remained closed and there was no sign of his waking, one of his fingers moved ever so slightly.

Faith's eyes widened a little. "Rose."

She glanced over at her. "What is it?"

"He just moved his finger," she whispered.

"Oh my, God," she murmured. "He hasn't...that's the first time..."

"I think Maurice is letting us know that...he's still here."

Rose's eyes filled with tears and she brought Bosco's hand to her cheek. "We'll be here, baby. When you're ready."

Faith smiled softly and took Bosco's other hand in hers. "Merry Christmas," she whispered.


End file.
